Two Pinay 'Champions of Change' to be feted at White House May 6

Two Filipinas are among 15 Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI) that the White House in the United States will honor on May 6 as “Champions of Change” for their contributions to their communities on various issues.

 

According to online magazine Asiance, the White House will honor 15 AAPIs, which include Filipinas Myrla Baldonado of Chicago, Illinois, and Catherine Eusebio of Fremont, California, as part of the celebration of AAPI heritage month this May.

 

“On Monday, May 6th from 1:00 – 3:30PM EST, the White House will honor fifteen AAPI women as ‘Champions of Change,’ recognizing their extraordinary work to create a more equal, safe, and prosperous future for their communities and the country,” the White House said on its blog.

 

“These fifteen women represent the strength and diversity of the AAPI community.  These leaders — in business, advocacy, philanthropy, sports, the arts, and academia — are wonderful examples for young women across the country,” said senior advisor to the president and chair of the White House Council on Women and Girls Valerie Jarrett in a statement. Aside from Baldonado and Eusebio, the other "Champions of Change" awardees are Nancy Tom from Chicago; Minh Dang, Mia Mingus and Van Ton-Quinlivan from California; Atsuko Toko Fish and Karen Suyemoto from Boston; Lusiana Tuga Hansen from Alaska, Arline Loh from Delaware, Natalie Nakase from Los Angeles, Mary Frances Oneha from Hawaii, Shireen Zaman from Washington, DC; Aparna Bhattacharyya from Atlanta and Pramila Jayapal from Washington state. Undocumented youth

 

According to the Fremont, California website of local news platform Patch, Eusebio is an undocumented youth “who has played a significant role in the movement for immigrant rights.”

 

Currently a social justice fellow at the San Francisco-based Asian American/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy, Eusebio manages the organization’s AAPI Dream Summer Program, which was described as supporting leadership development in immigrant youth.

 

She is also on the board of directors of United We Dream, a network of immigrant organizations led by the youth.

 

The Patch also noted that Eusebio has also been involved as a leader of Asian Students Promoting Immigrant Rights through Education (ASPIRE) and had a hand in organizing the first Asian American undocumented youth conference.

 

Fighting for caregivers

 

Meanwhile, a Philippine Star article described Baldonado as a woman at the forefront of fighting for increased wages of caregivers.

 

In that report, it was noted that Baldonado has been in the thick of organizing domestic workers’ groups since 2011.

 

This was due to bad conditions she experienced when she first began her work as a caregiver in the US for the elderly and disabled in 2007, the report said. These experiences prompted her to move to action. - Gian C. Geronimo, VVP, GMA News